Grade strip support



Feb. 2o, 1962 W. A. JENNINGS GRADE STRIP SUPPORT Filed March 9, 1959 vice for holding a grade strip tightly against the face of a steel form and in the proper position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a grade strip supporting device which may readily and easily be clamped to the flange of a steel form at any location along its length.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device for holding a grade strip to the inside face of a steel form which may be attached or removed quickly and easily by operating a simple wedge.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device for supporting a grade strip on the face of a steel form at vertically and horizontally adjusted positions thereon, whereby pairs of the devices may be utilized for holding a grade strip in various inclined positions.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a grade strip supporting device for a concrete forming apparatus which is economically manufactured, and easily and Veffectively utilized for its intended purpose.

These and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent by reference to the following description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. l is a fragmentary, perspective View of a steel form for concrete forming purposes, and showing a pair of the supporting devices of this invention assembled therewith for holding a grade strip;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional View taken substantially along line 2 2 in FIG. l ;l

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective View of one of the grade strip supporting devices shown in FIG. 1;

` FIG. 4 is a sectional detail View taken along the line 4 4 in FIG. 2 and showing the wedge of the device'in an operative position; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 wherein the Wedge is shown moved to an inoperative position.

Referring now to FIG. l of the drawing, a pair of grade strip supporting devices of this invention, indicated generally at 10, are shown clamped in spaced relation to a steel form 11 used for concrete forming purposes, for Supporting a wooden grade strip12 in a predetermined position against the inside face 13. of the form 11.

A device 1e comprises` generally a U-shaped hollow housing 14 (FIG. 3), an adjustable resilient strap 1,6 reciprocally inserted through the housing 14, a threaded rod or locking screw 1,7 for holding the strap in an adjusted position, and` a Q-shaped form clamping unit 19 attachable to the housing 14 by means of a wedge 21.

The U-shaped housing 14 is of a right-angular shape and includes a pair of transversely spaced, parallel side members 22 and 23 (FIG. 3), open at one end and closed at the other by an upright end wall 24, and a bottom wall 25. The right angle apex of the housing 14 is cut away, as indicated at 29 (FIG. 2), whereby the strap 16 may freely move lengthwise back and forth inside the housing 14 and adjacent the end wall 24 for adjustment purposes.

ilf Patented Feb. 20, 1962 r .Y w...

To accommodate the wedge 21, a pair of transversely aligned slots 27 and 28 (FIG. 5) are formed in the side members 22 and 23, respectively, with the slot 28 being longer than the slot 27. Additionally, to ensure a at aud balanced seating of the housing 14, the ends 31 of the members 22 and 23, to which the bottom wall 2S is secured, are dat and transversely aligned. The longitudinally spaced ends 26 (FIG. 2) of the end wall 24 are turned inwardly to form a pair of fulcrums for co-action with the resilient strap 16 in a manner described hereinafter. Y

The resilient strap 16 is substantially dat and straight, and is of a length several times the length of the end Wall 24. At one end of the strap 16 is a ared portion 32 having a width greater than that between the side members 22 and 23,` and with several holes 33 (FIG. 3) punched through it. The other end of the strap 16 carries a rivet 34 to prevent the strap 16 from passing downwardly, as viewed in FIG. 2, through the space provided between the base plate 24 and the nut 18.v v i f As viewed in FIGS. 2 and 5, a nut 1S for the lock scre 17 is secured, as by welds 36 Vat each side, to ythe side members 2 2 and 2,3 and is located approximately at the longitudinal center of the end wall 24, therefore intermediate the upturned ends 26. The side S7 of the nut 18 is spaced from the main plane of the end wall Zd so that the substantially straight strap 16 may be slidably inserted between the side 37 and the wall 24, or more specically, between the side 37 and the plane created by the fulcrum forming edges 3S of the inwardly turned end wall ends 26, this plane being spaced laterally, or to the left as Viewed in FIG. 2, from the end wall plane.

The reason for the provision of the turned ends Z6 with their fulcrum edges 38 spaced from the end Wall 24, is to enable the strap. 16 to be tiexed toward the end wall by the rod 17. It may well be seen that therod 17, which has a bent handle end 39 for manual turning, is rotatably movable in a direction normal to the plane of the substantially straight strap 16 (FIG. 2), and due to the location of the nut 18, may contact the strap 16 at a portion 41 (FIG. 2) intermediate the spaced portions of the strap which are in contact Awith the fulcrum edges 38.

Thus, as the rod 17 is threaded against the strap 16 so as to force that portion 41 toward the end Wall 2d or to the right as viewed in FIG. 2the strap is flexed in a concave manner relative to the rod 17, whereby the outer ends of the strap are moved toward the left as viewed in f FIG. 2. It may be appreciated that the strap 16 may be slidably moved through the housing 14 so as to change or vary the distance of the llared portion 32 (FIG. 2) from the housing14, and as long as spaced portions of the strap contact the fulcrum edges 38,' the strap 16 is flexed in `any longitudinally adjusted or varied position by operation of the rod 17.

The strap flexing is effective of course, with respect to the grade stripy 12, only when 4the housing 14 is clamped to the steel form 11. The clamping unit 19 provided to accomplish this includes a pair of C-shaped plates 112, (FIGS 3 and 4) joined together in a parallel, aligned manner by a spacer element 43 so as tol have an upper leg portion 44 (FIG. 3),. insertable between the side members 22 and 23, and a lower leg portion 46 extendable below the housing bottom4 Wall 2S (FIG. 2),.

To provideV for the co-action of the wedge 21 with the,v

slot 27, and the large end 51 of the wedge is longer than the slot 28 so that the wedge can not slide completely through or out of the housing. The wedge 21 is a flat piece of metal having a straight bottom edge 52 (FIG. 4) and an inclined upper edge 53 provided with three separate slopes 53a-53c. The operation of the Wedge 21 so as to raise the clamping unit 19 relative to the stationary housing 14 is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and is elaborated on hereinafter.

In use, a pair of the devices are usually combined to hold a grade strip 12 in a predetermined position (FIG. l) against the inside face 13 of a steel form 11. To attach a device 10 to the form 11, the device is placed on a flange S4 usually formed along the edge of a form in such a manner that the bottom wall 25 of the device 10 rests iiat on the iiange 54, whereby the side members 22 and 23 are upstanding and with the lower leg portion 46 of the clamping unit extended underneath the iiange S4. A lug 56 is provided on the bottom wall 25 for insertion into one of the holes 57 provided in the flange for indexing, so to speak, the device 10 to the ange 54.

To clamp the housing 14 securely to the ilange 54, the Wedge 21, in the inoperative position of FIG. 5, is struck on its large end 51 and driven to the left, as illustrated, whereby the co-action of the wedge slopes 5312 and 53C with the upper ends of the clamp slots 47 and 48, respectively (FIG. S), raise the clamp 19 so as to bring the lower leg portion 46 into contact with the under side of the flange 54.

With the locking rod 17 loose, the strap 16 is positionable, relative to the housing 14, until the ared end 32 is contiguous with the outer side 58 of the grade strip 12, which has been placed against the form face 13 at a desired position. The rod 17 is then threaded forward or toward the strap 16 to flex it and to force the ared end 32 tightly against the strip 12, thus holding and supporting the strip 12 against the form face 13. (FIG. 3) can be driven through the holes 33 in the iiared strap end 32 and into the strip 12 for further securement.

It may readily be appreciated that the positions of the flexible straps 16 may be readily changed, whereby the grade strip 12 in FIG. 1 may be supported in an inclined position relative the top lange 54 of the form, instead of parallel as illustrated. Additionally, other elements of the same type as the grade strip, such as Wooden box inserts (not shown), may be held by the supporting devices 10. l l

Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed herein, it is to be noted that various modications and alternate constructions may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

'1. A support for holding a grade strip member against the inside face of a metal concrete form including a ange formed along an edge of said form and extended angularly to the plane of said face; said support comprising means forming a channel adapted to be clamped on said ange and including a pair of spaced fulcrum parts, an elongated resilient strap extending through said channel forming means whereby spaced portions of said strap contact said fulcrum parts while one end of said strap is contiguous with said grade strip member, and retractable means connected to said channel forming means for engageably applying a force to said strap on aportion thereof intermediate said spaced portions whereby to dex said strap to move said one end of the strap to hold said grade strip member against said face.

Nails 59 v 2. A support for holding a grade strip member against the dat inside face of a concrete forming element including a ange formed along an edge of said element and which is extended angularly to the plane of said element; said support comprising means clampable to said ange and including a pair of spaced fulcrum forming parts aligned in a plane which is spaced inwardly of and extended parallel to the plane of said inside face, an elongated resilient strap adjustably movable relative to said clampable means whereby spaced portions of said strap Contact said fulcrum parts while one end of said strap lies adjacent said member, and locking means reciprocally movable in a direction normal to the plane of said fulcrum parts and connected to said clampable means for contacting a portion of said strap intermediate said spaced portions whereby to ex said strap so as to move said strap one end against said member to hold said member against said inside face.

3. A grade strip support device comprising, U-shaped housing means including an elongated end wall the ends of which are turned away from the main plane thereof, a pair of transversely spaced sides secured to said end wall, a resilient strap of a length longer than said end wall inserted lengthwise between said sides adjacent said I end wall and spaced therefrom by said turned ends, and

means secured between said sides for releasably applying a force to said strap at a portion thereof intermediate said turned ends and toward said end wall whereby to ex said strap in a concave manner relative to said end Wall.

4. A device for supporting a grade strip on a form comprising, a U-shaped housing including an elongated end wall the ends of which are angularly turned away in the same direction from the main plane of said end wall, a pair of side members having a pair of transversely aligned slots formed therein, means for clamping said housing to a form including a lirst leg portion adapted to be inserted between said side members and a second leg portion adapted to extend adjacent one end of said housing, said first leg portion having a slot formed therein alignable with said side member slots, a wedge element insertable through said side member slots and said rst leg portion slot and movable in contacting relation with said side members and said first leg portion whereby to move said second leg portiontoward said housing, an elongated resilient strap insertable between said side members and substantially parallel to said end wall whereby said strap contacts said turned ends, both outer ends of Said strap extended beyond said housing, and a rod element threadingly connected to said housing between said side members for forcing a portion of said strap intermediate said turned ends toward said end wall whereby to flex said strap.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,085,467 Nettell Ian. 27, 1914 1,109,433 Leydecker et al. Sept. 1, 1914 1,133,095 Burroughs Mar. 23, 1915 1,619,144 McMillan Mar. 1, 1927 1,722,712 Smith July 30, 1929 1,956,046 Robertson Apr. 24, 1934 2,233,911 Carson Mar. 4, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 20,069 Great Britain of 1907 

